Pre-performatywne cienie i ślady antropologii. O pograniczu nauk społecznych i teatru

Many anthropologists have their share in precursory ideas important for the development of Performance Studies. This article aims to present three main categories of anthropological contribution to the abovementioned field: debate, practice, and concepts. Although the meeting between Theatre and Anthropology in terms of a theory was late, the first signs of their collision can be found in ancient philosophy and literature topos Theatrum Mundi. In early Anthropology, we have the analysis of religion which takes into account relation between ritual and theatre. This analysis started a long debate and contributed to the theoretical basis of Performance Studies. In terms of research methods, both fields discussed prefer to rely on experience gained through fieldwork (Anthropology) and participation in the creative process (Performance Studies). This type of approach refers us to the participant observation, in which the scholar in his physical and mental self is forced to play various “roles”. Apart from its key role in the debate and equally important contribution to research practice Anthropology has a significant share in creating a theoretical basis of Performance Studies. The two most important concepts here are a cultural spectacle and social drama. The expression pre-performative used in this paper aims at emphasizing that the history and ubiquity of the performative aspect of cultural and social activities are vast and performative actions existed long before they started to be part of anthropological analyzes or became a ground on which new branch of social science started to grow.Wśród prekursorskich myśli istotnych dla studiów performatywnych znajduje się dorobek wielu antropologów. Centralnym celem tego artykułu jest zaprezentowanie trzech głównych kategorii antropologicznego wkładu do tej dziedziny. Przedstawieniu kolejno podlegać będą: debata, praktyka i koncepcje. Chociaż spotkanie między teatrem a antropologią w wymiarze teoretycznym było późne, to pierwsza refleksja o takim charakterze wiązana być może z pojawieniem się toposu teatrum mundi w starożytnej filozofii i literaturze. Wczesna antropologia podjęła się analiz religii, uwzględniając kwestię relacji rytuału i teatru, co rozpoczęło jedną z najdłuższych debat, stanowiącą teoretyczne podłoże studiów performatywnych. Obie dziedziny preferują w swojej metodzie doświadczenie, pochodzące z badań terenowych lub partycypacji w procesie twórczym. Takie ujęcie odsyła nas do obserwacji uczestniczącej, w której to etnograf w swej cielesno-intelektualnej rozciągłości zmuszony jest do odgrywania różnych „ról’’. Antropologia, co oczywiste, oprócz kluczowej debaty i nie mniej ważnej praktyki badawczej odznacza się istotnym teoretycznym wkładem do studiów performatywnych, który omówiony zostanie na podstawie dwóch koncepcji: widowiska kulturowego i dramatu społecznego. W tym sensie wyrażenie pre-performatywny nie usiłuje zaprzeczyć odwieczności i wszechobecności performatywnego aspektu kulturowo-społecznych działań, a raczej wskazuje na czas, w którym – po pierwsze – nie stanowił on sformułowanego i wyjściowego elementu dla podejmowanych analiz antropologicznych i – po drugie – nie przyczynił się do powołania odpowiednich katedr

Structural Behaviour of Glass Panels Under Soft-body Impact

Glass is a commonly used material in modern architecture not only for building enclosures but also for glazed barriers preventing building occupants from falling out of balconies or different levels inside buildings. The paper reports some results of an on-going research project involving testing of glass balustrades and infill panels mounted with different fixing methods, such as linear clamps, local clamp fixings, and point fixings through holes in glass. A reduced numerical model for prediction of strength of glass under soft body impact is also presented. In the experimental study toughened and heat-strengthened glass, as well as two interlayer materials of different stiffness, were used

Structural Analysis of Slender Glass Panel Subjected to Static and Impact Loading

Slender glass panels are widely used as storefronts and indoor separating walls in shopping malls and public buildings. To ensure that the design and construction is technically safe for general use and that it meets current and accepted technical standards, in-situ testing is required by the building administrator or authorities. A case study was performed of an indoor glass lantern in a public building made from slender two-side supported glass panels with a complex geometry. It provides structural assessments and results of in-situ experiments including static loading and soft body impact test. Results from numerical simulations of impact loading on the glass panels complementing the experimental results are also presented. The in-situ testing proved that the structural design meets current standards regarding the static loading. The soft body impact test proved the safety of the intact panel and the panel with one ply deliberately broken. The numerical study showed that, for a more complicated geometry, the stress distribution can dramatically change over time and that stress concentrations can develop at certain locations at a late stage in the impact history

Left ventricle systolic volume in vasovagal syncope patients

One of the hypotheses put forward concerning the mechanism of vasovagal syncope is that the vagal afferent fibres are activated during vigorous contractions against a partly empty left ventricle. The aim of the study was to confirm this hypothesis by using 2D echocardiography during a head-up tilt test. The study was carried out on 39 patients (17 male, 22 female, age range 21–64 years), all with a history of recurrent syncope. The patients were examined using a 2D echo to measure the end-diastolic and end-systolic volume before the head-up tilt test after the Westminster protocol (45min/60 grade) and every five minutes after tilting. T patients during head-up tilt test had a positive response and 32 proved negative. A reduction of both the end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes of the left ventricle was noticed. There was no significant difference in the degree of ejection fraction reduction. The difference in ejection fraction reduction between the two groups was similarly non-significant. It was also noticed that the patients with a positive response had more vigorous contractions than those with a negative test. The decision was therefore taken to use a different parameter for the left ventricle contraction, namely the LV posterior wall slope. As this parameter is partly dependent on time, its use in confirming the extremely vigorous nature of the contractions was considered appropriate. Only 6 patients were tested using this parameter. A tendency towards greater left ventricle posterior wall slope values, both before and during tilting was noticed in the group of patients with vasovagal reaction. Our data shows that vigorous contraction is probably less responsible for vasovagal syncope release than left ventricle volume reduction

Is descriptive writing useful in the differential diagnosis of logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia, Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment?

Current classification of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) encompasses three variants: non-fluent (nfvPPA), semantic (svPPA) and logopenic (lvPPA). Previously lvPPA was regarded as aphasic form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, not all patients with lvPPA phenotype present with AD pathology. Despite abundant literature on differentiation of lvPPA from svPPA and nfvPPA, studies comparing lvPPA with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are scarce. This study aimed at analyzing written descriptive output in lvPPA, AD and MCI. Thirty-five patients participated in the study: 9 with lvPPA, 13 with AD and 13 with MCI. Most aspects of writing performance were comparable in three groups. However, letter insertion errors appeared in 44% patients with lvPPA, while they were absent in AD and MCI. Patients with lvPPA used more verbs than patients with AD. Writing profile may complement other neuropsychological assessment results in the differential diagnosis of lvPPA. Letter insertion errors and frequent verb use may raise a query of lvPPA

Diameters of the cavo-sinus-tricuspid area in relation to type I atrial flutter

Cardiac arrhythmias have troubled patients and fascinated physicians for centuries. The twentieth century was an era of progress, when the mechanism of cardiac disorders became more commonly recognised. Arrhythmias may be due to abnormalities of automaticity, to abnormalities of conduction, or to a combination of both. In order for re-entry to occur, an area of slowing conduction combined with unidirectional block must be present. Much investigation has centred on the underlying re-entry mechanisms of atrial flutter. In the light of these facts, it would seem that a close acquaintance with the detailed topography of the vena cava orifice (cavo), coronary sinus orifice (sinus) and the attachment of the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve (tricupid) area could be of great interest, especially for invasive cardiologists. The research was conducted carried out on material consisting of 41 hearts of humans of both sexes from the age of 12 to 80 (6 female, 35 male). Classical macroscopic methods of anatomical evaluation were used. The following measurements were made: the shortest distance between the Eustachian valve and the attachment of the tricuspid valve on the left margin of the coronary sinus orifice (diameter 1), the distance between the attachment of the tricuspid valve and the inferior margin of the sinus orifice (diameter 2), the distance between the Eustachian valve and the attachment of the tricuspid valve on the right margin of the coronary sinus orifice (diameter 3), the distance between the inferior margin of the vena cava inferior and the attachment of the tricuspid valve (diameter 4) and, finally, the diameter between the attachment of the septal cusp of the tricuspid valve and the external border of the vena cava inferior (diameter 5). No correlation was found between the age and sex of the three groups of the material. The dimensions of the structure examined were similar in the three groups of hearts. In young adult hearts all the diameters measured ranged from 4 to 47 mm The average diameters were, respectively: 15.02 mm (diameter 1), 8.97 mm (diameter 2), 17.27 mm (diameter 3), 26.87 mm (diameter 4), 36.42 mm (diameter 5). In the mature adult hearts all the diameters measured ranged from 8 to 45 mm: 18.19 mm (diameter 1), 10.54 mm (diameter 2), 19.95 mm (diameter 3), 28.90 mm (diameter 4), 39.63 mm (diameter 5). In the older adults hearts all the diameters measured ranged from 4 to 47 mm. The average diameters were, respectively: 15.65 mm (diameter 1), 8.70 mm (diameter 2), 7.25 mm (diameter 3), 26.80 mm (diameter 4), 35.85 mm (diameter 5). On the basis of our study we were able to conclude that the diameters of the cavo-sinus-tricuspid area were constant and did not differ significantly within the three (young, mature, old) adult groups examined